Perish In Our Own
by Predtards
Summary: Evie and Marie weren't always badasses. And they didn't always have Predator allies to save them from the dangers the Xenomorphs and other humans posed. The transition from civilian to fighter requires harsh lessons, however.
1. The End of the World

Author's Note: Hey there folks! This here is the back story of how Marie and Evie survived the Alien Apocalypse and became totally awesome BADASSES. So. It's gonna be short, sweet, and hopefully epic. Sorry for the lack of Predatoryness.

Disclaimer: Nothing owned.

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The End of the World As We Know It

Evie handed in her test and walked out the door of her classroom, happy to FINALLY be free from school for another summer. Sighing, she stretched her arms, working the kinks out of her system. The final for her Ancient and Medieval Philosophy class had been harder than she had wanted. Scowling, she swore to never take another philosophy class EVER.

She brushed some of her hair out of her face as the wind caught it outside her classroom building. She had gotten a ride to campus today, because today was very special, and Evie wouldn't need her own crap vehicle.

Pulling out her cellphone, she tapped out a quick message, sending it off in however text messages went. The wind caught her dress and whipped the fabric around her knees. Thankful for thinking to wear a long sleeve shirt under the beautiful green dress, Evie steadfastly ignored the howling wind.

She smiled as a distinctly recognizable vehicle whipped into the parking, zooming straight towards her. The dark blue minivan slid to a stop in front of her and the window rolled down. Leaning out the window, shades over her glasses, her own long hair pulled back in a half pony tail, was Marie.

Grinning, Marie looked over her shades, glasses glinting in the sunlight. "Hey there, hot stuff. Goin' my way?"

Giggling and shaking her head, Evie went around the front of the car and hopped into the passenger seat. Marie had a sneaky look on her face, even with her eyes hidden behind black sunglasses.

"So! Guess what I have?"

"WHAT do you have? A coconut?"

"I hate coconut and you know it. No, I have a present for you for finishing your Junior year of college!"

Evie settled in as Marie began driving off. Watching the pastoral scenery of Iowa rolling by, Evie felt perfectly content. "What is the present?"

Marie's face looked like it would split in half if she grinned too much more. "You and I are going to enjoy a girl's weekend out, courtesy of my parents, in lovely Chicago! Everyone was going to do stuff, leaving me alone, so I brought it up to Mom, and she was totally chill with it!"

Evie smiled just as widely. "Really? I didn't think you'd manage to do it. I was all set to have to wait for our 15 year anniversary to travel anywhere!"

"Nah, just had to wait for the right time, you know? Oh, Evie, you're going to LOVE it! The museums are great! We can go to a musical or a theater production of some sort! Maybe Wicked will be in town. You haven't seen that one, right?"

"Nope. It's on the list."

Trundling down the mostly empty highway, surrounded by recently planted cornfields, the girls chatted on, planning their wonderful trip. What to bring, what to wear, when to get haircuts, what to do, which museums to go to first. The day was sunny, windy, beautiful and bright. They would remember this day in their darkest hours.

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It had been a week since their weekend trip to Chicago. It had been perfect, as far as they were concerned. Reluctantly, the girls went back to work, waiting to see each other again. Finally, Sunday came and Evie and Marie hit the pool.

It was hot and still, and the two lounged at the pool, listening to the shouts of other people nearby, giggling at the antics of children and young men alike. Marie set her arms on the side of the pool, legs kicking lazily in the water. She always had loved being in the water.

Evie, her back to the side, peered up into a cloudless, bright blue sky. "Say, have you heard about those killings?"

Marie blinked and slowly turned her head, her long, high ponytail flopping about her head. "Killings?"

Nodding, Evie turned her face away from the burning sunlight. "Yeah. Apparently, they've been finding these bodies that look like ritualistic killings. Bloody."

Sitting up, Marie began slowly walking through the water. "Oh, yeah. Aren't those mostly over West, though? Like, the Dakotas and such? I've been telling Jacob to be careful, since he's out that way and all. I hope he gets back from his training exercises soon. I miss that guy."

"I'm sure he's fine. Like a rock, that one. And I read an article recently that says it looks like the killers have been moving. Closer to us. And that there are some showing up down South. But, none in Costa Rica, as far as I can tell."

"Worried about Kyle?"

"Well, he tends to do stupid things sometimes. And what if I get killed? He'll be devastated. He's been telling me to be extra careful."

Marie shrugged. "Well, hopefully they'll catch the killers soon. Not much else we can do. I wonder if they're related to those disappearances?"

Evie copied her friend, shrugging and moving about the water. "Dunno. Seems like it could be. I hope they get these guys. I saw a picture from one of the crime scenes. Like something out of a horror movie."

Marie contemplated the sky for a moment, then the people in the pool around her. "Well, we'll see. I'm sure everything will be just fine."

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The minivan whipped along the highway, music blaring, the driver and her passenger singing along to the pop song on the radio. The two spoke back and forth, laughing wildly as the evening set in. Their waist length hair was tossed about easily in the breeze coming through the rolled down windows.

"Evie, come on. You really shouldn't be such a stick in the mud. You need to try new things more often! I promise that you will LOVE this shrimp recipe. And if you don't, you can pick out the shrimp and just eat the pasta. Either way, you get good food and you've tried something new."

The passenger crossed her arms grumpily. "But, I HATE shrimp! I hate fish! Anything from a body of water, I hate! You KNOW that! And I try new things!"

"Only when I make you!"

"I can't help that I'm a creature of habit. Besides, I tried that one Hot Pot thing your parents' friend brought over. That was, like, ALL seafood stuff! And I ate it! And pretended to like it. I was polite."

Marie rolled her eyes. Her bracelets chimed as she turned the wheel, sending the vehicle onto a quiet suburban cul-de-sac. "Again, I MADE you try that. And I've taken you to places that you've liked! You're such a pansy sometimes. But I love you anyway."

The driver chuckled as Evie focused her attentions on untangling her hair. Blue eyes glowered, or attempted to. "Aagh! Maariiee! The wind is tangling my hair AND messing with my contacts! AGAIN! Ow! Stupid earrings! Getting caught in my hair… The world HATES me!"

"Oh, hush you silly goose. You'll live. We're almost home. We'll get in our PJs, grab some munchies and drinks, then watch terrible horror movies. All will be well. I promise."

Marie brought the car into the three car garage, placing it in park. The two got out, Evie grabbing her overnight bag. The girls started for the garage door, both fussing with their skirts and tops. Marie attempted to tame her mussed bangs. "Man, you're right. The wind got to my hair, too. It's gonna take me FOREVER with a brush to get this all out."

Evie had begun to reply, when they heard something rustling in the woods behind the house. Evie took a step closer to Marie, hiding behind the stockier girl. "Marie… Let's not sleep in the basement tonight. Your woods are just too creepy. I hate seeing the shadows in the trees out the basement doors. Why do you have glass doors down there anyway? And no curtains!"

Marie hit the button to shut the garage door. The door began sliding down behind them as they entered the shadowy house. Marie's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She slowed her steps, the clacking of her heels sounding loudly on the wooden flooring. "That's odd… Mom and Daddy always have the lights on when it starts getting dark."

Evie shrugged. "Well, both their cars are here. Maybe they went for a bike ride? They do that. And it's finally nice enough out to go for awhile."

Marie nodded, flipping light switches as the two made their way across the first floor towards her room. They settled into the wildly colored room, kicking off their shoes and changing into their more comfortable pajamas. They grabbed their candy and soda laden purses and headed towards the basement stairs.

Before descending into the basement, Evie reached out and flicked on a light at the top of the stairs. Marie had gone ahead, and another light flicked on at the bottom of the staircase. Evie started down the stairs when a scream tore through the silence.

"MARIE! Are you okay? Why are you screaming? Did you see a spider or something? I'll get it, don't worry!" Evie careened down the last of the stairs, but was drawn up short at the sight in front of her friend, crouched on the ground, sobbing next to the bodies of her parents. Marie was shaking her father as her dog nudged the joined hands of the two bodies. They had gaping holes in their chests.

"DADDY! DADDYDADDYDADDY! Wake up! Please wake up! I'll call the hospital! They're your friends! They know you! They have to help you! You and mommy! You can't DIE!"

A shrill scream broke through the open basement doors from the woods and Marie's dog, Holmes, began growling and snarling. Marie continued sobbing, clutching at the still warm bodies of her parents, soaking her shirt in blood. Evie stepped forward, picking up her friend's purse and reaching for Marie's arm.

"Marie… Something isn't right. We need to leave. We have to get out of here. Look at Holmes. He NEVER growls. He's terrified. Whoever did this to your parents could still be around. We need to be smart. You can't break down now."

Marie shook her head. "I can't leave them! I can't leave them like this! The hospital could still do something!"

Evie began to respond when something pale flashed out of the shadows. Marie screamed, falling backwards away from the strange creature screaming and snarling at her. Just as it was about to reach her, Holmes barreled into it, knocking the monster off balance. It still managed to slash Marie's face, slashing deep gashes across her lower left cheek. Holmes stood in front of her, facing off against the tiny terror.

Evie grabbed Marie's arm, forcibly hauling her to her feet, pulling her back towards the stairs. "MARIE! We need to get out of here, NOW!"

"NO! No, I can't leave Holmes! I can't let him die! HOLMES!" Marie tried pulling away from Evie's grip. The creature shrieked and made another lunge for the two girls. They both screamed and threw their arms up in an attempt to ward off their attacker.

A snarling howl broke through the higher pitched noises and the small beagle attacked the pale monstrosity. The alien beast screamed again, blood gushing from the bite wound inflicted by the small dog. Holmes' howl climbed in pitch suddenly, before it was cut off by a panicked cough as the creature's blood trickled down the brave dog's throat.

Marie screamed again, crying for her dog as he toppled over, gasping for breath and making small, pained noises. Evie, tears streaming down her face, tugged on her friend once more, this time managing to get her up a step. Marie began back down the stairs, when the injured beast charged for them a third time.

The two girls screamed, running up the stairs, tears blinding them. Marie continued calling for her dog and her parents, while Evie screamed at Marie to focus and to keep up. In all the ruckus, neither noticed another of the small pale demons above a cabinet in the dining room.

Another scream joined the first and Evie looked back to check on Marie. She stumbled over the leg of a chair, just as the alien launched itself off the top of the cabinet towards her face. The young creature misjudged the trajectory of Evie's fall, its claws cutting across the bridge of her nose, rather than gouging out her eyes.

Evie cried out in pain and threw the small bugger as far from her as she could, before continuing to drag Marie towards the garage. She opened the door to the garage, slamming the door behind them as Marie finally broke out of her daze. Marie pulled her car keys from her purse and the two scrambled back into the van as a series of loud thuds came from the door behind them.

Marie hit the garage door opener and began backing out before it had opened all the way, as several more of the monsters lunged for the vehicle. Marie slammed on the gas and careened into the street, bending part of the garage door in her haste to escape.

Marie drove them away, face bleeding, tears still running down her face. Evie sat in shocked silence, nervously twisting her hair, wishing she knew what to say. She opened her mouth, ready to try and comfort Marie, when a choked gasp of horror came out. Marie didn't look over, but asked what was wrong.

"Marie… What if it's happening everywhere?"

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Marie typed out the number again, holding the cell phone to her ear, praying for a response. She'd called everyone in her contacts. And Jacob more than once. Where was her fiancé when she needed him? What if he was already-

"No. No thinking about that. He's fine. He's tough. He'll come back to me. Just gotta be patient."

Staring down at the bright screen, more tears dripped from her eyes. "He promised he'd protect me… I can't do this on my own. I'm too scared. Jacob, where are you?"

The car door rattled and Marie started, shrieking. She relaxed a little when she saw it was only Evie. Pressing the unlock button, Evie clambered in, eyes downcast. Marie reached out, grasping her friend's pale hand. "No luck?"

Evie sniffed loudly, wiping a hand across her eyes. "Maybe they went to Uncle Rich's place."

Marie's spirits drooped even further. They'd searched everywhere. Marie knew her parents were dead. She couldn't get a hold of any of her family. Her fiancee's family… Well, they'd found some of them. Marie shuddered, trying to forget the monster latched onto some of the family… She'd already counted them as her own.

And Evie… They had found none of her family. Everyone just gone. They could hear screams and death cries as they drove by some places. Her boyfriend's family was also missing, all of the ones nearby, and there was no way of knowing about the others.

Backing out the driveway of the small trailer home, Marie began driving through their town. There were lots of cars packed on the interstate, trying to escape the town. There were… THINGS, in and among the cars, shrieking, screaming, always that awful sound.

Some were chasing people down the street. They tried not to notice. Some people ran towards them, the van. But, they were caught and dragged off, killed, or had more of the monster come out of them or latch onto them before they made it.

The girls recognized many of the people. There were plenty more they didn't. Finally, Marie maneuvered them out of the city by way of some back roads, going West, leaving Hell behind.

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Evie sighed, watching the sky. Summer would be turning into Fall soon. And they hadn't found Jacob yet. Struggling to blink back tears, Evie tried desperately to not think about her Kyle. She hadn't heard anything. There was no communication anymore.

Marie had stopped to raid an empty house. She came out with some supplies and changes of clothes. She held out some jeans and sneakers, as well as a tshirt and sweater, to Evie. "It's gonna be big on you. But, there's a belt in there somewhere. Best I can do. Sorry."

"It's fine. Thanks."

Marie nodded, then went to go put the rest of her finds in the back of the car. Mostly food and extra blankets. Those would be more than useful when winter hit. Evie shivered at the thought. Winters in the Midwest were not kind to the weak.

Marie had changed as well, and was heading off towards the trees, spotting a shovel nearby. It could prove useful. Picking it up, Marie began walking back towards Evie, when a distinct shriek filled the air. Turning quickly, it was all Marie could do to bring her shovel up, keeping the small monster from mauling her torso.

It jumped back, hissing. Evie screamed, terrified. What could she do? She was helpless like this! She had no weapons! And even if she did, she didn't know how to USE them!

Marie faced off against the beast. It was black, but smaller than the ones they usually saw. It was only about the size of a large dog. It was still growing, so it had only come out recently.

It hissed at her, then charged again. Marie screamed, flailing with her shovel, forgetting anything but to KILL THE LITTLE BASTARD.

Her shovel clipped the thing's shoulder, blood oozing out. Marie failed to notice the effect that the blood had on her weapon and everything the blood touched. Screaming more, Marie brought the shovel down on the beast again and again, the wounds making it difficult for the thing to run.

Finally, she managed to hit it just right, severing its head part of the way off. The blood sprayed and she jumped back, but it was too late. The green blood shot out, spraying her legs and pooling around them, sending Marie into fits of screaming.

She fell backwards, tears streaming down her face, trying to drag herself away from the blood that was destroying her. Evie ran to her side, dragging Marie clear. Marie kept screaming and moaning as Evie cut what fabric remained away from Marie's body.

Her right leg was worse off than her left, since it had been farther forward. Evie dragged Marie's shoe off, then turned away to puke up what food she'd eaten. Part of Marie's right foot was gone. Her pinky toe had been eaten away, leaving part of her foot bone exposed.

The wounds went up both legs, almost to the knee. Evie was no doctor, but she knew that these injuries could get infected easily. Marie would have immense trouble even walking. Would she even walk again? Evie needed Marie. What if this killed her?

Crying more, Evie dragged Marie to the van, clearing a space in the large back to lay her friend. Running back and forth from the house, Evie bathed the wounds as best she could, cleaning them, bandaging them, wincing every time Marie screamed, or worse, whimpered in pain.

Finally, after Marie had fallen into an uneasy sleep, Evie shut the trunk door and locked the whole car down, shivering in the darkness, wondering what would happen if she lost Marie on top of everything else. Tears slid down her face, and she remembered a bright, windy spring day, not so long ago, and fell asleep.

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Evie drove on, squinting down the road. Marie moaned in the back, tossing her head, panting. The wounds had gotten infected. Marie was dying. The fever kept rising. Evie tried everything she could think of, short of leeches. Nothing was helping.

She had been looking for help. If Marie didn't get a REAL doctor soon, she was as good as dead. Evie blinked back tears. "Don't worry, Marie. I'll go with you."

Suddenly, Evie slammed on the brakes. There was a car on the road in front of her. More vehicles came out of the woods around the car, surrounding her completely. Then, someone in a green uniform stepped out of the car in front of her.

Sobbing in relief, Evie scrambled out. Guns pointed at her, but she didn't care. She stayed near the car, tears running down her face. "PLEASE! Please, you have to help me! My friend, she's been hurt! She's got an infection! She's dying! Please, help us!"

The head of the group stayed still, then lowered his gun, walking forward to her. Holding out his hand, Evie took it gratefully and shook it timidly. He smiled down at her. "Don't worry, miss. We'll help you. That's what the Army is here for."

He went to the back of the van, calling out orders, and Evie followed him. She opened the trunk, showing him Marie. Another man came forward, getting into the trunk to examine Marie's injuries.

Evie sat by Marie's head, stroking one of Marie's hands. "Don't worry, Marie. We're safe now. They'll help us. Maybe they can tell us where Jacob is. He's Army, right? Or, National Guard? Whatever. You'll be okay. Don't worry."

Marie blinked blearily at her friend, then sank back into oblivious darkness once more, feeling nothing but fear.


	2. Freedom for Safety

Author's Note: So, here is the second, of three, chapters! You are now going to get a VERY BIG WARNING.

_**WARNING: In this chapter, there is going to be a LOT of unpleasantness, such as rape, physical abuse, and forced abortion (AKA Baby death). If you are uncomfortable with things such as this, please do not read. If you read, and then complain, we take no responsibility. You have been warned.**_

Disclaimer: We own none of the stuff that is copy righted.

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Freedom for Safety

Marie was getting better, slowly. Her legs were still messed up, but the medic said that, with a LOT of work, she may be able to walk again. Secretly, Marie swore she'd be back to full battle mode before these guys knew what hit them. Being laid up was not her style.

Evie had been having a pretty good time, for the most part. In the few weeks since they'd joined the small Army detachment, Evie had made friends with almost every person, and knew every man's name. Marie could barely remember the medic's name. But, she'd always been bad with names.

Marie was alone in the back of the van, legs dangling off the side. Evie had left her to chat with someone, Chad or some such. Marie sighed, bored beyond relief. No books, no games, no one to talk to, nothing to look at but the scenery and her own wrecked legs.

Wincing, she lifted up her right foot and unwound some of the bandages. She knew she shouldn't. Blake, the medic, would be mad she'd fiddled with the wrappings. But, she couldn't stop herself. Again and again, day after day, she unwound her wrappings to stare at herself.

She'd always prided herself on her legs. She had beautiful legs. Maybe not the standard beautiful, but to her, they were her pride and joy, right up there with her hair and eyes. Her legs had been massively muscled. Nothing but strength, from dancing, and walking, and martial arts. They were lovely.

Now, staring at them, she didn't recognize her own legs. They were scabbed and scarred, some wounds still oozing. Chunks were flat out missing from her calves. And her feet… They'd always been big, for a girl. But, they'd been good, sturdy feet. They had taken her many places. Now, they were ruined. She almost cried seeing her right foot.

It was red and angry looking, covered in scabs and scars. But the missing toe threw her off every time. She wiggled her toes, wincing a bit at the pain, grossly fascinated by trying to move a part of her that wasn't there anymore.

"Maybe I'll get a phantom toe. That would be kinda cool. That, or I want to have a cyborg toe. I will be the first human to have a robot toe. Everyone will be terribly jealous. It will shoot lasers."

"What's going to be shooting lasers?"

Marie started, looking up fast, hand darting for something she could use as a weapon. She sighed when it was only Evie. "You shouldn't sneak up on me like that. I find I'm even more jumpy than I used to be."

Evie just grinned, but it quickly left her face when she spotted what Marie had been doing. A stricken look passed over her features, but it was replaced with a frown. "Marie. You know you're not supposed to be fiddling with it. What if you get infected again?"

Marie just stared down again at her missing toe, wiggling her remaining appendages slowly. Evie was distracted for a moment, watching the four toes moving about, before shaking her head and kneeling down to rewrap the bandages. "It's better if you don't keep looking at it, Marie."

With her work finished, Evie sat next to Marie, cross legged on the edge of the trunk. The group had stopped to make camp for the night. The fire was burning brightly in the ring of vehicles. There were men on guard, but that was to be expected. One had to be careful of the monsters that went screech in the night.

Soon, Blake would come to help her to the fire. They'd sit, her and Evie, in with a group of almost thirty guys, eating dinner, talking, laughing, as if the world around them hadn't gone down the shithole. Marie hated it. She hated them.

She didn't mean to. She figured she shouldn't. They had healed her. Were helping her and Evie. Kept them safe. Kept them fed. What more could a person ask for now? That was all that mattered. But Marie hated them. All of them, except Evie. Hated their looks of pity, the whispers, the looks, and she knew. No one did anything out of the goodness of their heart. No one.

Evie either hadn't seen it or, more likely, was refusing to acknowledge it. She was happy. The men found her little things to do, to keep her busy. They talked with her, laughed with her, commiserated with her about her losses. Marie had refused to open up, and so she saw them for what they were, because they forgot that she was there. Listening.

Staring around the campfire, the men singing, laughing, joking, Evie playing along with the charade, Marie wondered when the other foot would fall. Would she be ready when it did?

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"I'm telling you, we need to leave. They've been great and fabulous, but I'd really feel better on our own. I mean, we can scavenge. We can be careful. We don't need them anymore."

Evie shook her head. "I can't believe you're saying this! They've done nothing but be kind and generous!"

Marie limped along, leaning heavily on a thick wooden staff that she'd carved herself, since she had nothing better to do. "I'm telling you, this isn't going to end well. I KNOW you've felt it, Evie. The way things are different."

Evie was silent, looking down at her feet. She had noticed. The men she'd been treating as friends had been acting strangely. But, they could have done anything before now. Why hadn't they? Or, did that mean they wouldn't do anything?

Marie stopped walking, wincing. She was getting better, walking farther, but it still hurt a lot, and her balance felt strange. It would take a long time before she got it back. She sighed, looking at Evie, with nothing but pain and fear in her eyes. "Evie. Please. Let's leave. Tonight. Now. Let's just go. If you trust me at all, if you love me as much as I know you do, listen to me. Listen to me as your friend and your sister and your soul match. We must leave here. Now. No matter what happens."

Evie looked at her friend. Marie was her leader, no matter what anyone thought or said. Marie knew what to do. And, in situations like this, Marie was very rarely wrong. Evie simply nodded. "I'll get our things together. We can go in the morning."

Marie frowned, but didn't push. Evie needed time to say goodbye, to gather what they needed, to rest. Sighing, they both began walking back to the van they slept in.

That night, Marie lay awake, unable to sleep. She tried not to toss and turn too much, since it rocked the van a little bit and might wake Evie. All Marie wanted to do was leave. Run, flee. She wished she understood what sort of internal warning system was giving her this information. But, her gut usually led her well.

Suddenly, there were shadows outside the van. A lot of them. Was there a fight? Marie grabbed her staff, sitting up, trying to get her feet under her, biting down on her cheek to keep from whimpering at the pain in her ruined legs. She tried to think, tried to remember. Had she locked the van? Where were the keys? She couldn't remember.

Then, the trunk door opened. The captain was there, smiling. Evie woke up and was looking around, confused and sleep muddling her thoughts further. Marie shifted, moving between the captain and Evie. He began to speak.

"Good evening, ladies. I'm sorry to wake you up, but we've got a bit of a situation. Would you both come with us? We just need to keep you a bit closer until it blows over."

Marie knew it was a lie, but played along. Maybe Evie would find the keys. "What is the situation? I want to know what to be prepared for. Xenos?"

The captain clearly hadn't been expecting a response, since Marie didn't talk hardly at all, and Evie wasn't one to really question. He had thought they were fairly docile, and very thankful. He stumbled a bit on how to answer the question. "Well, uh, that is… We saw another… another group of people! A group of people nearby. Need to see if they're friend or foe. Just want to keep you ladies safe!"

Marie's eyes narrowed. "Yes, I find that it can sometimes be difficult to tell who is going to help you and who is going to hurt you. Perhaps we'll be better in here, since they won't see you moving us around."

His patience worn thin, the captain leaned in, trying to grab Marie. "Just come on! We don't have time for this!"

Captain Renauld was not prepared for what happened next. Marie's stick darted through the air, hitting his arm hard, pinning it to the floor, while she darted her right hand forward in a palm strike, slamming it into his nose.

There was a distinct crunching noise and the Captain stumbled back, dazed, tears running from his eyes and blood from his nose. He waved men forward. "GODAMB! Dad libble bid brod ba node! Geddum!"

Marie tried. She fought with all the desperation, fear, and rage she could, and that was a lot to be contained in her small body. She didn't move from her spot in between the men and Evie. Evie grabbed the back of her shirt.

Marie, her face grim, spoke softly. "I'll do what I can, Evie. I will keep my oath to you."

The battle was on. Marie's staff darted about as best as it could in the small space, breaking fingers and hands and bruising. Her fists were also getting a good workout. The men were eyeing her, much more wary of the quiet girl they'd assumed was harmless.

Then, the doors opened. Marie cursed, hating herself for forgetting that the van had two side doors, that Evie was right near. Evie shrieked as someone grabbed her, starting to drag her from the vehicle.

Marie swore, turning trying to reach Evie in time. But, her legs gave out. They hurt too much. They were still too weak. Someone grabbed her leg, began dragging her, pulling her from the trunk, farther away from Evie.

Evie flailed and fought, biting, scratching, screaming, kicking. One guy got hit right in the nuts and he fell to the ground, groaning in pain. She kept fighting, but Marie saw it wasn't enough. They were dragging Evie away. They were going to hurt Evie.

Marie screamed, and it made the blood of some of the soldiers there go cold. Marie went wild, reinvigorated, attacking with all the ferocity of a rabid dog. One man went down, stunned by a hit to his head. Another stumbled back, chocking after Marie had slammed her hand into his windpipe, almost, but not quite, crushing it.

Breaking free, Marie made a mad dash for Evie, who was being taken to one of the larger trucks nearby. With a snarl, Marie tackled one of the men holding Evie, easily bearing him to the ground. Hands scrambling, Marie fastened her grip around the man's neck.

He began to panic, flailing. Other men were pulling at her. But, her mad loyalty kept her grip strong. Before they could pry her loose, Marie had choked the attacker to death. The first thing, human or animal, that she had ever killed on her own.

As she was dragged away from the truck, Marie could hear Evie screaming, then crying in pain. The weeping haunted her, made her fight harder, until she was struck on the head, enough to daze her, ending her deranged rampage.

As she was thrown to the ground, Marie could hear Evie crying. She had failed. She hadn't been able to protect Evie. The bodies closed around her, Evie's cries become muffled to her ears, but still ringing in her head, blocking out the grunts of the men on top of her. Over and over again, she heard the cries, and could only think one thing as the night wore on.

"I have failed."

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Marie and Evie sat huddled in the back of the van, completely silent. It had been a few months, as far as they could tell. Winter had come and gone. Summer was getting closer. Marie stared off into space, paying no attention whatsoever to anyone or anything around her.

Evie huddled near her friend, wishing for the comfort that Marie couldn't give anymore. For the first few months, Marie had tried to free them. She had fought every fight, killed more men, and had taken a lot of pain for it. She'd only stopped fighting when they'd taken their anger out on Evie instead of her.

The caravan stopped for the night, the man driving their van parked in the middle of the group of vehicles. It made the girls easier to watch. They were let out of the back of the van and were given chores to do. Dishes, cooking, mending, cleaning.

Marie glared at anyone who came near. She was bitter and angry and hated them all, and they knew it. But, for some of them, that made it more exciting to have control over her. She could see it in their eyes, and it sickened her.

Evie was worse off. She'd made friends with many of these men. She couldn't look them in the face anymore. And they didn't want her to. They were ashamed and horrified at themselves, but they didn't stop. Their own shame wasn't enough to keep them from going to Evie night after night, using her.

Finally, there was a hand on Marie's shoulder. One on Evie's. They looked at each other, in pain, wishing there was something they could do. But, they hung their heads. Fighting did nothing. They were led off to different trucks, the same ones they were in every night, and waited for it all to be over.

!#$^%$&^*&($%#^&#$^&*^)(*#$%^&*&(*(*#%^#$*&($%#^$&^#$&&(%#$#$^%&#^*%&($#$%^&%*&^%*(^#&%&^&$$%#$^%&^*$&(%$^%&^#^&$*(*$^*#$^&#^&(#$*&^($#$%#^#&*^&

Evie whimpered in the back of the van, using her long hair to hide her face and tears. They had taken Marie away. For awhile she'd heard Marie screaming. Now, it was quiet, and that was far more disturbing.

Evie choked back a sob. What if Marie was dead? What if they'd killed her? She could believe it. She put nothing past these men anymore.

It had only been a matter of time. She and Marie had tried to hide it as best they could. They'd kept it hidden for a few months. But, eventually they had noticed. The bulge couldn't have stayed hidden forever.

When they'd found out, they had reacted badly. They came for Marie in the night, dragged her out of the van, screaming and fighting. They had taken her past the fire, into the shadowy trees beyond. The screaming had started shortly after that.

Even more time passed. Evie tried to comfort herself by thinking of happier days with Marie. With her sweet and dorky and sometimes whiny boyfriend, Kyle. Thinking of her family and friends and the world that she'd desperately looked forward to before everything went wrong.

Eventually, the trunk opened and they tossed Marie in. Evie waited until they shut the door and posted the guards before sobbing and diving to her friend's side. Rolling Marie over gently, Evie almost puked at the sight in front of her.

Marie was covered in horrible bruises. Her face had mostly been left alone, but her arms and torso and upper legs looked like someone had painted them black and purple as a joke. Evie didn't want to look closer at the hideous stains on Marie's pants and some of her overly long shirt.

After a little while, Evie gathered herself together and began to undress Marie, cleaning as she went. The towel was hideously red as Evie cleaned between Marie's legs, sobbing at the knowledge that these men cared so little for life anymore. The life of her friend. Her life. The life of what would have been Marie's first child, now nothing but a bloody mess left in the woods.

Evie's hands shook as she redressed Marie. What if Marie didn't wake up? Brain damage wasn't a problem, but what about internal bleeding? Hemorrhaging? Evie couldn't bear to think about it.

The men left her alone that night. And Evie spent the whole night sobbing, cradling Marie's head on her lap, wishing that it hadn't been like this. Wishing they'd gotten the marriages and husbands and families they'd planned on, and now would never have.

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Marie had healed, slowly. The men had left her alone for awhile, but went right back to it after a few weeks. Only now, they tried to be more careful.

It hadn't been enough. Marie found Evie curled up in a ball, trying to keep her sobs silent. Marie slid next to her, a watchful eye and ear on the driver. "Evie. Evie what is it?"

Evie shook her head, terrified. Marie scooched her farther back into the trunk, farther away from the driver. Whispering again, Marie leaned in close, her voice so low and quiet that Evie barely heard her. "Evie. Please."

Evie mumbled something into her knees. Marie frowned, leaning closer, keeping her back to the driver, so he couldn't see what was going on. Evie looked up, eye horrified, voice low. "Marie… I- I think I'm pregnant."

Marie was quiet and sat back, thinking back to what was possibly the worst night of her life. Her hand drifted to her stomach, wondering if she'd ever be able to have kids again, if she ever wanted to. Marie shook herself and looked at Evie. "How far along?"

Evie shook her head. "I dunno. A few weeks? Maybe a few months? I'm not showing too much yet."

Marie nodded, a sickening fear filling her. There was no way Evie would survive a beating like she had. Marie was sturdy. Stocky. She could take a hit. Evie? She had enough health problems before all this, and a beating might kill her.

Marie held Evie's hand as Evie cried, gently petting her comrade's long hair. "Don't worry Evie. We'll escape. I promise. They won't do that to you. I'll die before I let it happen."

!#$%$^%*&()^%$#$#$*&(%)(^&%^($#$^%*&^(^)(%^$%##!$*&%^(&)^_(%^$#$&%#^$%*&(%^_(*%*)#$^*&(&)^%*^(#$&%^#$%*&(*)_^(%*^$#^%*(^))&%*$&^%#&*()^_^(%*#$^&$*(&)*

It had been a few weeks since Evie had told Marie about her… Condition. She'd been farther along than she'd thought. She was beginning to show. A lot. It would only be a bit longer before someone found out.

Marie had been waiting for an opportunity to escape. Gathering her supplies. Planning. Her chance came sooner than she'd thought, and was horribly inopportune.

Their opening came in the form of a Xenomorph attack. The monsters hit during the day, during a break for lunch. The only warning they had was some men screaming their final screams. The driver and guard in the girls' van, jolted, wondering what to do.

The guard opened his door, ready to join the fight, when a face raper launched off of a nearby tree branch and onto his face. He barely had time to scream before he dropped, his gun still inside the car.

The driver shrieked and scrambled to close the door and drive off, following the few other vehicles that had decided to make a run, rather than fight. He watched the battle fade into the distance, shaking, glad to have come out safely.

He looked into the rearview mirror to check on the girls, wondering why they weren't panicking. He could see one of them, Evie.

"But, where's the other one?"

It was the last thought he would ever have. Marie had used the death of the guard to slip up behind his seat. She'd managed to take a knife from dinner while she was cleaning it. She grabbed the man's hair, yanking his head up, which made the car jerk around wildly.

A coldness in her eyes that no one could see, Marie quickly ripped the knife across the man's throat, cutting as much and as deeply as she could. The man didn't even have time to scream. He just gurgled, feeling his life slip from him, and he fell into darkness.

The car was veering wildly, making Evie sick. Marie wiggled into the front, steering the wheel with one hand, trying to shift around the body to try and deal with the van. Eventually, she shoved the dead man's foot off the accelerator, and the car slowed down marginally.

When they finally stopped, the other cars having left them in the dust, Marie opened the driver door and shoved the body out, only keeping the man's weapons and some clothing. She used the clothes to mop up some of the blood on the steering wheel and seat, before tossing the ruined clothes out the door and settling in.

Evie clambered into the front, grabbing the dead guard's gun from the floor where it had fallen. The two fastened their seatbelts and Marie shifted the car into gear, driving them still further west, searching for some place they could scavenge supplies. Autumn was ending, and they would need as much as they could get.

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End Author's Note: No, we don't hate men. Nor do we hate the military. But, we thought it made sense for a post apocalyptic world for this to go down. If we grossed you out/made you cry/made you angry with the injustice of it all/etc., then we're doing something right.

Also, Ally did nothing but watch silly baby videos and cat videos on youtube, instead of being a good coauthor. She abandoned Annie to her fate to write all the angst by herself. Annie is a bit miffed. Ally is apologetic. Kind of. But not really.

Also, we would like to tell people that we don't want any discussion of whether abortion, in the current political/moral arena, is good or bad. We are simply saying that, what happens in this story is BAD. End of story. We're certain you can all agree on this. So, let's leave the politics elsewhere. Please?


	3. Home

Author's Note: Last chapter, we swear! And it's much happier! Ish! There is a happy ending! And then, once we finish this off, we get to start our new, AWESOME, story, in a similar vein to Hero is a Cheap Label! Yay!

Disclaimer: We wish we didn't own this angst. We like babies. Living ones. D:

!$#%$*^()$(#%#^$%^^$&*)%^$%#%!%$*^($#&^$!%$%^&*%^&)^(#!%#$^%&$*(*^%$*&%#$&^$!%#$^*&(%)$*%^*&()^&(^%$^*&()^%($*&%^#$&%^#&*&()%(^$*%#$^%&*(%)^%&*%^()

Home

Marie carefully shifted Evie about, making sure the other girl didn't slip from her back. Grunting in pain as burning stings crept up her right leg, Marie kept trudging along, Evie on her back. They were both exhausted.

They'd been running for awhile now. They'd lost track of the days. All they knew was that the snow had set in and set in fast. The van had broken down and they'd taken only what they could carry. The snow was falling heavy and wet, thick layers of white keeping the world silent and still, save for the occasional black shadows lurking in the trees.

Evie groaned, panting. By their best guesses, she'd be giving birth any day now. Her stomach was swollen and they could sometimes feel a weak kick.

Growling, Marie shifted Evie again, hating her ruined legs for the pain they were giving her now. Used to be, this would have been nothing. She could have hauled Evie and their supplies, plus some, for miles. No more. She had to find shelter.

"Besides, Evie needs to get warm. The cold is getting worse. As if the stress wasn't bad enough on her and the baby."

Evie opened her eyes slowly, finding her head settled on her friend's shoulder. She had no idea how long Marie had been carrying her. It seemed like days. Maybe it had been. Night and day, it was hard to tell the difference in the dead of winter, with ash covering the sky.

Finally, Marie managed to find a small cavern. Gently setting Evie on her feet and placing the packs down, Marie turned to the opening.

"Okay, Evie. I'm gonna go in and check. See if there are any bears or stuff. I'll come get you when I know it's safe. Do NOT come in before then, okay? Just shout if you see something."

Evie nodded weakly. Marie frowned. Evie was paler than usual. Maybe she could try making a fire tonight. Get all the clothes and blankets out. Quickly, Marie ducked into the cave. She could barely manage the opening, but she did.

The small entrance opened into a larger main cavern, with a few different, small holes at the top. Hoping beyond hope that the spiders wouldn't notice the smoke, or at least wouldn't be able to get in, Marie went to retrieve Evie and their things.

Slipping through the opening, Marie almost screamed to find Evie slumped on the ground, panting, passed out. Dropping to the ground, Marie cradled Evie's head, gently patting her cheeks.

"Evie? Evie, sweetie, wake up. You can't sleep here! Wake up! What happened?"

No response but a groan. Marie drug her up and shuffled awkwardly towards the entrance. She'd hoped Evie could at least make it past the door, since it was hard to maneuver an unconscious pregnant lady.

After a few minutes of struggling and creative/awkward twisting, Evie was in the cave, Marie panting, leaning against the wall nearby. Standing straight, Marie ran as fast as she could outside to get their packs, wondering if the blankets and clothes were wet or not.

Fortunately, most of the items were safe. Marie went to work, pulling off Evie's wet outer clothing, replacing them with as many layers of t-shirts, sweaters, and blankets as she could dig out of the bags.

Convinced that she had Evie as covered and as warm as she could manage, Marie went back out into the cold. She hunted around in the trees, ducking under pine trees to check for dry branches. She ferried her first load back to the cave and dug out a small divot, placing her kindling in it.

Back out again, over and over again, Marie hauled branches of as many sizes as she could find. When she figured she had enough to last for a day or so, Marie set about lighting the fire.

After a few tries with the lighter, the kindling caught. But, she put the logs on too soon and it smothered. Cursing, she tried again, constantly checking on Evie, only to see her shivering and trembling under the covers.

Again and again, Marie tried to light the fire. The men had always done it when they were trapped. She'd never had to do it before hand. Her father or brother or fiancé had done it when they went camping.

Spitting out swear words again and again, Marie finally managed to get a log to light. Triumphant, she laid a few more on, feeling the cave begin to warm. Removing her own wet things and setting them out to dry with Evie's, Marie went to her friend.

Evie opened her eyes, croaking. Marie gently gave her some water, as much as Evie could stomach, which wasn't much. Evie fell back asleep and Marie took watch, carefully eyeing the entrance and holes for any potential face rapers.

The night went on and Marie stood on guard, until exhaustion, pain, and the warmth of the fire put her to sleep, curled up near the entrance, blocking the wind from getting further into the cave.

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Marie laid the final stone on the small cairn in front of her. Kneeling, she held her face in her hands. She'd tried digging a grave, but the earth was too hard. She'd barely gotten a few inches in. The cairn would suffice to keep any animals from getting at the small bundle inside.

Sobbing, Marie wiped her nose on her sleeve. "I'm sorry, baby. I tried. I did. But, Evie was so sick… And weak… And didn't have enough to eat… I'm so sorry… You were dead before you lived…"

Evie was still feverish, back in the cave. She'd finally stopped losing blood from the still birth. Marie had carefully wrapped the tiny person in her best and cleanest sweater, hoping that there might be a noise, a heartbeat, anything to indicate that she didn't have to bury someone else she loved.

All to no avail. The small baby had grown cold in her arms. Once she'd wrapped him up snugly, she'd tended to Evie. Once she had stabilized, Marie had gone into the woods, finding a small clearing, surrounded by pine trees, and had set about trying to do a proper burial.

That had brought her here, kneeling in the cold snow, dripping snot all over herself. But, she couldn't bring herself to leave. The poor little thing at least deserved some of her time, if nothing else. So she sat, feeling the water seep into her jeans, wondering where to start.

"I'm sorry we didn't name you. Your mama was too sick to do much of anything. And I'm really bad with names. I still maintain that you would have made a GREAT Enrique. I suggested it in good faith, since your mom REALLY likes Enrique Iglesias. Just sayin'."

The silence stretched on in the shadowy bower. Marie eventually continued her one sided conversation. "There is a lot that I wanted to teach you. I would have been a great aunt. And me and your mommy would have loved you to bits. If… my little one had lived, my baby girl, I think it may have been a girl, you two could have been best friends. Almost siblings."

More time. It had no meaning in this place, in front of the pathetically small tower of rocks. Finally, Marie sighed, finishing wiping her raw face. Standing, she stared down at the pile that was only as high as her knees, just barely.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do more… I'm sorry I failed you. But I have to leave now. I can't fail Evie. Never again can I fail her. I'm sure you'd want me to keep your sweet mom safe for you. So, when she eventually passes on, you can be there waiting for her. Wherever that is, anyway. I'm sure you'll end up somewhere good, though, no worries. So, good bye, then. Rest in peace, little one."

Marie turned and walked away, leaving the small glen to become layered in another falling of white. Staring down at her feet, Marie almost wished she could cry more, to get all the sadness and pain out of her. But, she didn't have more tears to cry. She didn't think all the tears that had ever been shed could ever get rid of all that was bad and hurting inside of her.

So lost in her thoughts, she ran smack dab into a rather large obstacle and fell backwards, losing her glasses in the process. She stared blankly at the large, dark mass before her, that sprouted another dark mass from the top of it. Feeling around, she was unable to find her glasses in the thick snow.

A very prim, proper voice reached her ears and she looked up as the man spoke.

"I say, there, Miss. Madam? Are you quite all right? Are you in need of assistance? You seem to be very distressed. And dirty. Very dirty."

This was all simply too much now, and Marie began to wail, tears still refusing to come to her. "E-e-everything is AWFUL! I lost my glasses and my best friend is DYING and she just had a still birth of her first baby and I had to bury it all by myself because she's DYING and I can't do anything and I need my glasses to see and I'm wet and cold and my nose hurts cus of your stupid thingy whatever that I can't see cus I can't find my glasses in all this stupid snow and now you call me DIRTY and I FEEL dirty and I HATE it and I wanna go HOME and take a hot shower and curl up in my bed, but it isn't THERE anymore, and I hate EVERYTHING!"

The man spoke again. "Well. Um. You say your friend is dying? I could help with that. And maybe some of the other things. Check to your right. A little further, there you go. Are those your glasses there?"

Marie scrabbled about, following his directions and she was eventually led to her glasses. Cleaning them off as best she could, she put the freezing cold frames on her nose, staring up at the helper.

She started to find that what she had run into was, in fact, a tank. And, peering down at her from the top of the tank, was a strange, red headed, bespectacled man. And, to her confused eyes, she could have sworn…

"Are you wearing a cummerbund?"

The man started and looked down, smoothing the red fabric a bit self consciously. "Why, yes. It is. I am particularly fond of it."

"Do you often wear cummerbunds whilst riding about in tanks?"

"…Yes. In fact, I do."

Marie blinked, then nodded. It was, sadly, not the strangest thing she had ever seen. "Well all right then."

The two stared at each other for a little while, seemingly at a loss, when the man spoke again. "So, that friend of yours? Perhaps we should go get her?"

Marie was suddenly wary. Despite the fact this gentleman was wearing a cummerbund, which she'd only seen on her high school choir teacher at concerts, she couldn't trust him. What if he turned out to be as bad, or worse, than the other men?

He watched her, perfectly patient. This was a man who was, somehow, unconcerned by the fact that a spider could come at him at any moment. Marie took a step back.

"Why should I tell you? You could just be taking us back somewhere to eat us or something."

The man made a face, clearly appalled at the idea. "My dear, for one thing, I find that cannibalism is not the sort of thing that I am partial to. And, for another, I am a vegetarian, though I do enjoy some good seafood and eggs and such. I do not want your food, or your blankets, or whatever else you think I might want. I have a perfectly fine set up, thank you. I am offering my help as one human to another in need, nothing more, nothing less."

Marie wavered. She wanted to believe him. He seemed nice enough. He hadn't been rude, he didn't need to have stopped to help her, he didn't need to point out where her glasses were. And she needed help. This seemed the only available option to her.

Gritting her teeth, Marie stood, as tall and as proud as she could, forgetting about her dirty, torn clothes, her overall poor hygiene, and the aching pain in her legs. No one would see her weak again. She couldn't afford to be weak.

"I will gladly accept your offer of help, good sir. My name is Marie Sorenson. I will lead you to where I've been staying with my ill comrade, one Ms. Genevieve Caroll."

The man stood as tall as he could and bowed low at the waist, in a way that would make most men look terribly silly, but seemed to suit this particular carrot top. He raised his head and gazed at her calmly.

"I am Sir Marvin Michael Geraldo Reynolds V, PhD., a gentleman."

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Ensconced in Marvin's zombie defense fortress, that had become a Xeno defense fortress on accident, Marie and Evie slowly healed. They would always have scars, both mental and physical, but, with the help of Marvin and each other, they improved.

The first thing they did when they felt better was to hack off all of their long hair. The men that had held them hostage had loved their hair, always saying how pretty they looked with it. Seeing what was once their pride and joy please monsters, it filled them both with disgust.

They took scissors to their hair with a viciousness that surprised them. But, they got used to the short hair soon enough. It helped in a fight not to have it all flying about them. They'd learned from the men how easy long hair was to use as a hand hold.

Marvin had enough weapons laying around that, as they healed, Marie and Evie learned to fight. Shooting, knife work, exercising to get back into prime shape, and practicing new moves for battle situations.

Their aim improved, they got faster, more dangerous. Marvin let them stay in the middle ring of the fort, and they watched caravans come and go. They did work for Marv, dealing with the caravans, trading, learning information about the outside world.

After months of staying behind the walls of Marvin's fortress, the girls left with a caravan, in a hardcore minivan, with Marv's blessing to return when the winter hit. The girls left and learned. They made mistakes, but got better at killing Xenos, and defending the caravans they rode with.

It wasn't until their returning trip that they ran into the best, and worst, thing that could have ever happened. The caravan they were with ran directly into a minefield that had, originally, been set up to slow an onslaught of Xenomorphs.

The day had started out peacefully enough. Marie and Evie were running rear guard, watching carefully for any oncoming black specks, signaling a charge of Xenos. Suddenly, from the front, there was an explosion.

Marie yanked the wheel to the side, swerving to avoid hitting the car braking in front of her. The cars that were left screeched to a stop, watching the dust settle on the wreckage of a few vehicles.

As everyone got out to check, very carefully, for survivors, Marie and Evie took guard duty. Survivors would be trumped by attacking Xenos any day. As they watched, the gears in Marie's head were turning.

Evie jolted as she heard a giggle. Turning her head this way and that, Evie was vaguely disturbed to see Marie giggling to herself.

"Marie? What are you doing?"

An unsettling look in her eye, Marie grinned. "This. This has possibilities!"

"What does?"

"The bombs! The cars! Everything! It fits, it fits!"

Evie shushed Marie gently as some of the people in the caravan began giving them the evil eye. Marie quieted, but the look never left her eyes.

"Evie. What if, instead of just guarding, we be a little more proactive? No one else has thought to do it!"

"I still have no idea what you're thinking."

"If people set up these bomb traps, like in valleys and such, or a strip through a mine field, we could lure the spiders away from them and their groups, AND try and kill a bitch ton of them at the same time!"

At a loss for words, Evie just gaped at Marie, who still had a too wide smile on her face. "Are you INSANE? That would most likely kill us, as much as the Xenos! And what if they don't follow? We can't guarantee anything!"

"Well, it's better than nothing. People will be willing to take the risk. And we'd be able to charge a bitch ton for it, BECAUSE it's so dangerous and we're the only ones to do it! Come on, what do we have to lose?"

"How about our LIVES."

"Piff, we risk those anyway. And we all have to meet our maker sometime! Why not go out doing something useful? With a bang, if you will."

"I hate you. And your puns."

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Evie and Marie were silent, watching the landscape go by. It was summer again, and they had a new van, Goners the fourth.

Evie huffed, crossing her arms. "We could have set out earlier if you hadn't INSISTED upon trying to put missiles on the third one. How could you EVER think that putting missiles on a minivan was a good idea?"

Marie snorted back, gently guiding the car through the clogged roads. "Oh, shut it. It would have been cool if it had worked. And we only set out a few weeks later. It's not like you got hurt or anything!"

"If I hadn't been wearing that bandanna, I could have bald patches! You set my head ON FIRE!"

"It would have grown back! And it's a moot point now!"

Evie huffed again, staring out the window. "Whatever. Are we there yet?"

"Close."

They drove on, silence ruling once more. They began seeing familiar landmarks. Stores. Houses. Places that were once lively and beautiful and filled with people. No longer.

As they drew closer to their destination, Marie spoke, her whisper sounding like a scream in the still of the van. "So. Where are we going to do this?"

Evie swallowed hard, blinking away tears that threatened to fall, she shook her head. "We should just go to your place. There are no bodies for me to bury, so no point in going there. I'll just set something up at your place. It… It's nice there, anyway."

Marie nodded, not asking more. Soon, they pulled into a cul-de-sac, driving to the end and pulling into the driveway of a slightly dilapidated house. Other than some broken windows, probably from looters, it looked all right, though the broken garage door was very noticeable.

Stepping out, Marie hesitated, cringing, reaching for Evie. Evie grasped Marie's hand in a death grip, swallowing again. They went forward together, into the house, guards up, watching for anything lurking in the shadows.

But, there was nothing. Xenos weren't interested in houses with nothing but the dead in them. They went across the house, to the staircase. Marie stared down them, shaking. But, choking, she took the first step down, focusing on putting one foot in front of another.

It seemed like an eternity, but eventually she hit the last step and froze. Even up to this point, Marie had hoped that it was all a bad dream. That her family wasn't gone. That she'd just wake up. Even after about two years.

But, the rotted corpses in front of her, of her parents and her dog, broke her again. Shattered her pipe dreams of returning home. Sobbing, she fell to her knees, not even screaming out. She'd thought all of her tears had left her. She'd been horribly wrong.

Arms wrapped around her, turning her head, burying her face in a shoulder. Without thinking, her arms wound around Evie and squeezed, holding onto her friend as tightly as she could.

Evie winced a little at Marie's grip. She was having a hard time breathing, and could feel pain in her ribs from the pressure of Marie's arms. But, she waited it out. Marie needed this, needed her.

Finally, Marie released her, staring up into Evie's eyes with a haunted, lost look. "Don't leave me."

Evie smiled, smoothing Marie's short hair. "Hey, don't worry. I'm here. We're good."

The look didn't leave Marie. "Don't leave me… Don't leave… I'll die if you're gone. I'll die. I can't deal with you dying. I can't do it. I can't…"

Evie held Marie close again. "It's okay. I won't leave you. Never."

Saying nothing, Marie finally just sighed and stood. "Let's do this."

Nodding, Evie followed. They went upstairs to grab some shovels, then slipped into the woods, walking carefully down the steep hill. Reaching the bottom, they journeyed a little way further, finding a nice clearing.

Then, they began digging. It was only three graves, but digging them took awhile. Eventually, though, the holes were deep enough by their standards. Back up the hill they trooped, dirty and silent. There, they gathered each of the sets of remains into separate blankets.

It took both of them to carry Marie's mother and father down the hill and to place them in the holes prepared for them. Marie refused any and all help when it came to the dog that had allowed them to escape with their lives.

Marie cradled the small corpse gently, making her way carefully down the slope. It was difficult to do without her hands. But, she managed. She'd travelled this hill for years. It was her backyard. Her playground as a child. Now, the only memorial her family would ever have.

After placing all the bodies in their graves, they began shoveling the dirt back in. Scoop after scoop, watching the dirt hit the bottom. The bodies. The shrouds. It was faster with both of them working. Soon, three small mounds existed.

Sighing, Marie crouched down, resting her head on the shovel's handle. "Well. Do we want to leave the markers for tomorrow?"

Evie nodded and they left the shovels and the freshly made graves, choosing to spend the night in Marie's former home. It was eerie and frightening, but they moved past it. One couldn't be picky about the shelter you slept under.

The next day, they found different things to use as markers. Wood. Paving stones. Broken parts of stone counter tops. They spent time carefully painting each marker with a sign, so they'd always know which graves belonged to which people.

Marie had five for her family. Her parents. The sister and brother that she presumed dead. Her dog. On the other side of the clearing, Evie had set up a single, large stone, where she put symbols for all of her many family members. Getting markers for each of them would have taken too long and been too difficult.

The final grave they did together. It was one large stone, but split in two. Marie took one side, Evie the other. They each put their own special symbol on their side of the stone. Evie sketched a palm tree and colored it, because the man she'd loved, Kyle, had loved being farther south, in the tropics.

Marie drew a few different shaped flowers, thinking on how many times her Jacob brought her small flowers he'd picked from the side of the road, or sent pictures to her phone of flowers he found. He had been the sweetest man she'd ever met.

They stayed there for a long time. In the end, they left, trudging their way up the hill, to rest for another night, before moving on, driving from the ruins of their home.

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It had been a few days since they had laid to rest their pasts, and Marie was getting antsy. They needed to find a caravan to latch onto, to make it back safely to Marv's. Travelling alone was much worse.

They were trundling along, when Evie started, pointing. "Look! Go that way! I see some cars! They look parked right now."

Marie swung Goners the fourth that direction and hit the gas, getting them to the other vehicles in record time. She slowed upon approaching, hoping they wouldn't shoot first. She'd be very upset to have more bullet holes in her beloved minivan.

They stopped and parked, waving their arms out. A group of three men approached, wary. The leader, a stocky, bald man, glowered at them. "Who are you and what do you want."

Marie smiled and waved, unperturbed by the mistrusting glares sent her way. "Why, my charming fellows! I am Marie. That, over there, is Evie. We were wondering if your caravan could use some extra oomph. We're very good at guard duty and at being distractions for the Xenos."

The man snorted, crossing his arms and eyeing Marie up and down. "You expect me to believe that you two little girls are Xeno baiters? And guards on top of it?"

Nodding enthusiastically, Marie put even more syrupy sweetness into her tone. "Aw, what's the matter? Don't believe we can't take care of ourselves? We'll be fine, and keep you fine too!"

The other two men snorted, laughing at the thought. But, the oldest man, the one that had been speaking, silenced them with a look. He eyed Marie once again, but nodded. "I'm willing to give you a chance. Have the look of a fighter in your eyes. You can call me Bossman. I'm the boss of this merc group the caravan has already hired. But, I'm willing to take two more."

Evie leaned over and smiled, waving. "Thank you! Tell us where you want us and we'll go!"

Bossman gave them their directions and sent them off. At camp that night, a gangly red head wandered up to them, grinning. "Hey there, ladies!"

Marie and Evie both looked opposite directions, speaking simultaneously. "Ladies? Where?"

The boy started, then laughed brightly. "You two are great! Welcome aboard the Alpha team! I'm Chatter! Bossman is my dad! Isn't he cool? I want to be just like him! Why, there was this one time-"

Chatter plopped down next to the girls and began to yatter on, expounding tales of his father's exploits. The girls looked at each other and smiled, glad to have someone so joyful on their trip back home. He'd certainly make dinner time more interesting.

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End Author's Note: YAY! It's done! We're glad the angst is over! Now, we are moving on to our new long story! We hope you're all excited and ready to read it here soon!

Ta ta!


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